Electric and Biomass Power Could Bring Paper Mills to Net Zero Emissions, Study Suggests

Tech Xplore (10/16/25) Pitchford, Joey

A new research paper, titled "Advancing sustainability in the U.S. pulp and paper industry: Decarbonization through energy efficiency, electrification, low-carbon fuels, and the social cost of emissions," finds that replacing natural gas with electric and biomass power could help some pulp and paper mills reach zero net emissions. The research team started with a simulation of mills defined by a couple of characteristics: one, whether they used virgin or recycled fibers; and, two, whether they were integrated or not. A virgin mill creates pulp and paper from fresh wood that's being used for the first time. By contrast, a recycled fiber mill re-uses available fibers that may have been previously processed. A mill is deemed integrated if it can turn biomass into pulp and paper on site versus a non-integrated mill, which uses pulp that has been produced and dried off site. Virgin integrated mills currently account for 30% of annual U.S. paper production and 33% of greenhouse gas emissions, the biggest shares of both between the four types of mills.

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